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President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday dismissed recent reports that Russia holds compromising information on him as “nonsense,” “fake news” and “phony stuff.” His highly anticipated press conference at Trump Tower in New York City—Trump’s first since July 27—took on a significant new weight after some media outlets published bombshell allegations on Tuesday night that the Russian government had “salacious” information on the president-elect, including that he used sex workers and intended to “defile” a bed President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama slept in while in Moscow. Your browser does not support iframes. According to CNN, four senior U.S. intelligence chiefs—Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, FBI Director James Comey, CIA Director John Brennan, and NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers—briefed both Trump and President Barack Obama on the allegations last week. BuzzFeed on Tuesday published the full 35-page collection of memos containing the allegations, despite labeling them “unverified and potentially unverifiable.” The allegations have been circulating in the Washington jounalism and intelligence communities for months. The reports, which, again, have not been verified, also claim that Trump is in a position to be blackmailed by Russia. Trump said during the press conference that the memos “should never have been written, should never have been released.” At one point while discussing the Russia allegations, Trump said said he’s warned his associates and bodyguards about the presence of small cameras in hotel rooms. Related: Trump, Putin and how Russia interfered in the U.S. presidential election Held nine days before his inauguration, Trump’s…more detail

Media captionTrump v Clinton: What the Russian papers sayDonald Trump has called the American media "disgusting", "corrupt", "biased" and "dishonest". If he could read Russian, I suspect he'd appreciate the way the media here have been covering the US election. Pro-Kremlin newspapers have waxed lyrical about Donald and, at times, torn Hillary to shreds. "I officially declare that Clinton is a cursed witch," wrote Russian MP Vitaly Milonov recently in the popular tabloid Komsomolskaya Pravda. "That's why even a funny guy like Trump looks more reasonable in comparison." The Russian press has portrayed Clinton as a raving Russophobe. "Russia is…... [read more]

Image copyright AFP Image caption The urn is on display in the Jose Marti memorial in Revolution Square Thousands of Cubans are paying their respects to the leader of the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro, who died on Friday at the age of 90. Long queues snaked around Revolution Square in the capital Havana, where mourners filed past a picture of the late leader holding a rifle. It is the first public commemorative event during the nine days of mourning declared after his death. The mourning period will end after his ashes are laid to rest on Sunday. Castro's ashes were…... [read more]

Image copyright Reuters Image caption Havana's Revolution Square will host a ceremony to remember Castro Cuba's most prominent dissident group has called off its traditional protest for the first time in 13 years following the death of the country's revolutionary leader Fidel Castro. The Ladies in White say the decision is to avoid tensions. The group, founded by wives of jailed dissidents, has long defied a protest ban in Cuba with a weekly march. Castro died on Friday at the age of 90. Flags are flying at half mast as the country observes nine days of mourning. From Monday, people…... [read more]

Uzbekistan's parliament has approved Prime Minister Shavkat Mirziyoyev, 59, as interim president. The move is a clear sign he will become the long-term successor to strongman Islam Karimov, who died last week. Under the constitution, Senate leader Nigmatilla Yuldashev should have taken the interim role but reportedly declined. Parliament also confirmed a presidential election will be held within three months. The BBC's Abdujalil Abdurasulov says the election may well be just a formality - as it was during President Karimov's rule. Karimov, 78, died after a stroke and was buried at the weekend in his home city of Samarkand. Media…... [read more]

The former Uzbek president, Islam Karimov, has been buried but many questions remain, both about his death and the future leadership and direction of his country. Official and unofficial death Although a public transition of power began after Mr Karimov's death, questions are still being asked about the way Uzbek government handled his demise. The first reports of his death emerged immediately after the official announcement of his hospitalisation on 28 August. The initial report by the cabinet gave no details of his illness. On 29 August, the president's youngest daughter, Lola Karimova-Tillayeva, said on Instagram that her father had…... [read more]

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany supports a dialogue between the United States and Russia, but Donald Trump must not ignore Russian actions in Crimea and Aleppo when he sits down with President Vladimir Putin, the German defence minister said on Friday. Speaking at an event in Berlin, Ursula von der Leyen also said that NATO would be "dead" if any one of its members refused to come to the defence of another that was under attack. Trump, who defeated Democrat Hillary Clinton in the U.S. presidential election this week, praised Putin repeatedly during his campaign and questioned whether the United States…... [read more]

BEIRUT (Reuters) - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his allies hope to benefit from Donald Trump’s election win, believing it has saved them from the risks of an interventionist Clinton administration. Trump's win may have already shifted the course of the Russian-backed military campaign in Aleppo. A senior pro-Assad official told Reuters that plans to capture the rebel-held east by January were shaped around an assumption Clinton would win. The confidence in Damascus will have been justified if some of Trump’s comments on Syria crystallize into policy, though there are questions over how far he will follow through on suggestions…... [read more]

Media captionFormer CIA worker Edward Snowden was last seen in Hong Kong, reports the BBC's Jennifer PakThe EU is demanding assurances that Europeans' rights are not being infringed by massive, newly revealed US surveillance programmes. Justice Commissioner Viviane Reding plans to raise the concerns with US Attorney General Eric Holder on Friday. Last week a series of leaks by a former CIA worker led to claims the US had a vast surveillance network with much less oversight than previously thought. The US insists its snooping is legal under domestic law. The Obama administration is investigating whether the disclosures by former…... [read more]

Mr Xi, on his first official overseas trip as leader, has already met President Vladimir Putin. He described the Russian leader as a "good friend". On Friday, Russia's state-owned energy firm Rosneft agreed to triple oil supplies to China in return for a $2bn (£1.3bn) loan. The two countries also agreed a preliminary deal for a gas pipeline to be built, although analysts say they are still a long way from agreeing terms. Russia is one of the world's biggest energy producers, and China is the world's top energy consumer. Bilateral trade reached a record $88bn last year, but the…... [read more]